Radeon 6800 praised, RIM's PlayBook up against Apple, Google still in the game

AMD’s Zacate E-350 processor was the subject of an in depth preview at Hot Hardware, where the engineering sample received strong praise for its superior performance compared to Intel’sAtom processors. AnandTech also gave some thorough benchmarks of the processor.

CNET reviewed the HP Mini 210-2003sa netbook, giving it three out of five stars. It received commendations for its overall design and bright screen, but lost marks for its power port layout and trackpad.

Christmas may be coming early for geeky children, with the launch of the PeeWee Pivot 2.0 tablet/laptop hybrid, according to SlashGear. While far from a contender to the main tablets or laptops on the market, this one looks appealing for children. And we have anecdotal evidence kids love iPads. At $599 it’s not a whole lot cheaper than an iPad, but at least it’s much more child-proof. We don’t recommend you test that theory.

For those looking for real alternatives to the iPad, there’s always RIM’s PlayBook, set to launch next year. Tom’s Hardware posted a video showing a face-off between the PlayBook and iPad, with the RIM device whipping the Apple one on pretty much all counts.

Another interesting piece of hardware that has surfaced this week is the possible successor to Google’s Nexus One, which failed in the consumer market but thrived as a developer phone.

There are many reports about a mysterious unmarked phone that Eric Schmidt held at the Web 2.0 Summit this week. Mobile Business Briefing confirmed the title as the Nexus S, suggesting that it would be manufactured by Samsung, the maker of the Galaxy S.

It seems that Google is still in the hardware game, despite some believing its commercial failings with the Nexus One would mark the end of its foray. We wonder whatever happened to the rumoured netbook and if that’s still on the agenda for the year to come.